By Ben Thompson | October 30, 2009
"Freddie Roach is going to eat his words," promised a confident Miguel Cotto as he took time out from his training camp in Tampa, Florida to address recent comments made by Freddie Roach during a media conference call when he questioned Cotto's confidence and stood firm by his prediction that Pacquiao will knockout the Puerto Rican star. "What Freddie Roach says, I do not care. The best thing he can do is prepare Manny Pacquiao to be the best he can possibly be...Roach is not going to get in my head. He talks a lot and thinks the same thing will happen when Pacquiao fought Hatton and he and Floyd Mayweather Sr. argued," Cotto said with a smile, insisting that he was ignoring the comments of the world-class trainer.
"We are not going to fall into that game. No stupid thing that they say is going to affect me and nothing he says will change the outcome of the fight," the WBO welterweight champion reiterated as he spoke to Raul Alzaga of Primera Hora. To his credit, Cotto has remained focused on his training despite all the talk and distractions that have gone on in both camps leading up to November 14th. "The fights are won in the gym and here we have worked 100 percent. Also, the nutrition has helped a lot, so the state of mind I'm in is very different now than it has been in the past. In fact, we are very near the weight," Cotto revealed, showing little concern of making the agreed upon 145-pound catchweight.
While Cotto does recognize Pacquiao's achievments throughout his career, he's still unimpressed with his skills inside the ring. "Pacquiao is a great fighter, but he's a 126-pound fighter...he will never have the strength of Miguel Cotto," he continued. "The only thing different about Manny now from three years ago is that he gained weight and had victories over Hatton and De La Hoya. That has its merit, but in boxing terms, he's still essentially the same type of fighter."
It's clear that Miguel Cotto is extremely confident in his abilities and his preparation for this bout. The question is will he have the right gameplan when he finally steps into the ring with the Filipino phenom. Hopefully Cotto doesn't truly believe that Pacquiao is the same fighter that he was three years or that he's going to be that much stronger than him. If he does, then Cotto, like all of Pacquiao's past opponents, is going to be in for a rude awakening on November 14th.
exert from fighthype.com
Friday, October 30, 2009
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Chad Dawson picks Miguel Cotto to beat Manny Pacquiao
In a recent "Twitterview" with Chad Dawson. I asked him who he picked to win the Miguel Cotto vs Manny Pacquaio fight. Well like the smart man that he is he picked Miguel Cotto. "No doubt Cotto will knock Pacquiao out, or atleast dominate him. Cotto will be too heavy come fight night and work the body nice" is what Dawson had to say about what will happen come Nov. 14th. I also asked him about how he felt about Glen Johnson's comments about him in his recent interview with www.fighthype.com. His responses was "If my fight with Adamek did not impress him. I don't know what will. I plan on going in there and showing all my wins were no fluke". Well Mr. Dawson the boxing world is well aware that none of your fights were flukes.
Glen Johnson has one more shot at a payday and at ever being a considerable contender for up and coming boxers of today. In my opinion and many other boxing fans, we all think it is a waste of time for Dawson to even entertain another fight with any one who he already beat. Maybe he should start doing what Floyd does to people. Not putting a rematch clause in the contract. Its a shame that a man with his talent has to waste it on fighters who have no chance of beating him any way. Hopefully if all goes well he will get a chance to get his wish and fight the winner of the Hopkins vs Jones fight. That is a fight fans want to see. New school vs Old school. Its a shame that so many fighters, young fighters, have to deal with the disappointment of the boxing business. And people wonder why when these fighters do get there time to shine and become big stars they ask for big money. Its because we as boxing fans did not take care of them, or give them the credit the deserve when they were in the trenches trying to entertain us.
Fighters don't last for ever. We should appreciate what they do for us while they are here, and not take them for granted.
Thanks for reading. Remember where you heard it first.
I Am Boxing.....Are you?
Glen Johnson has one more shot at a payday and at ever being a considerable contender for up and coming boxers of today. In my opinion and many other boxing fans, we all think it is a waste of time for Dawson to even entertain another fight with any one who he already beat. Maybe he should start doing what Floyd does to people. Not putting a rematch clause in the contract. Its a shame that a man with his talent has to waste it on fighters who have no chance of beating him any way. Hopefully if all goes well he will get a chance to get his wish and fight the winner of the Hopkins vs Jones fight. That is a fight fans want to see. New school vs Old school. Its a shame that so many fighters, young fighters, have to deal with the disappointment of the boxing business. And people wonder why when these fighters do get there time to shine and become big stars they ask for big money. Its because we as boxing fans did not take care of them, or give them the credit the deserve when they were in the trenches trying to entertain us.
Fighters don't last for ever. We should appreciate what they do for us while they are here, and not take them for granted.
Thanks for reading. Remember where you heard it first.
I Am Boxing.....Are you?
Paul Williams picks pacquaio to win in the cotto vs pacquaio fight
After asking Paul "The Punisher" Willaims about who he thought would win in the Cotto vs Pacquiao fight on twitter I ended up getting a response from his close friend saying that Paul is going for Pacquaio to win that fight. Remember where you heard it first. Looking for responses from Andre Berto , Andre Dirrell and Floyd Mayweather if they respond to my twitter.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
WBC CHAMP ANDRE BERTO IS PISSED AND READY TO SIGN CONTRACT FOR A MEGA FIGHT WITH SHANE MOSLEY
Not to long ago on twitter WBC welterweight champ Andre Berto came across a article done on Shane Mosley by boxingtalk.com. I seen this article this afternoon but don't pay to be a member of boxingtalk. In the first part of the article that is posted on the website. You can read shane mosley say " I thought it was Berto myself. Now I guess he doesn't want to fight. If he doesn't I don't know, I guess we're going to have to find somebody to fight me." Now any true boxing fan who keeps up with all the boxing news knows damn well that Berto is not scared of shane. And it is Andre Berto who wants to fight Shane Mosley. Shane Mosley is the one who went on record and said that nothing is final with berto because he thought that he could squeeze a fight out of Floyd for some quick cash.
This is what is wrong with boxing today. People like shane mosley who at first call out manny Pacquiao and state that he will drop to 140lbs to fight Manny Pacquaio. And that cotto isnt worthy enough to fight Pacquaio because shane knocked out Margarito who beat cotto. I mean to quote ed lover, C'mon Son!.
I guess Shane didnt think that in todays age with twitter,Myspace,Facebook etc. That Andre berto would run across shane mosleys interview. Well he did. And he was not happy about it. He was furious on his twitter page. Tweeting things like "Yo people I see Shane Mosley talkin a lot of shit on www.boxingtalk.com. Iam not the one...I know he's on twitter. FIND HIM" . Andre Berto later went on to say " # All that respect is out the door ill whoop yo ass homeboy. It doesn't matter steroids or not.
# I want him to say all that smack to me I showed him only respect now he's gettin real slick out the mouth he grew a pair on balls over night"
You can go to his twitter page at twitter.com/andreberto and read what else the champ had to say. I know as a writer i am not supposed to give my opinion. But this is a blog. And for right now I am going to give my opinion. I think that Shane talks a big game when it comes to calling out people like Floyd or Pacquaio, or even Ricky Hatton at one time. But has nerve to say that if Floyd were to fight Pacquiao he would not agree with the fight because he is to small. But Shane was willing to go to 140lbs to fight Pacquaio. Does any of this make any since to you readers? Golden boy promotions is trying to figure out a way for Shane to keep his belt. Because if he looses his belt then he looses ground in any chance at a mega fight with Floyd Mayweather. And the one who is going to stop him is Andre Berto.
Mosley said it him self that Bertos belt does not matter to him. But how can the WBC welterweight belt not matter to you? Are you serious Shane?
Boxing has its ups and downs. With young, hungry fighters like Andre Berto willing to fight anyone and everyone to be called the number one fighter its a shame that people like Shane Mosley will stoop this low. If you are boxing then you know that Andre Berto is willing and ready to sign that contract to fight Shane Mosley and be one step closer to a mega fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr.
dont forget to follow me at twitter.com/iamboxing and follow Andre Berto as well at twitter.com/andreberto
This is what is wrong with boxing today. People like shane mosley who at first call out manny Pacquiao and state that he will drop to 140lbs to fight Manny Pacquaio. And that cotto isnt worthy enough to fight Pacquaio because shane knocked out Margarito who beat cotto. I mean to quote ed lover, C'mon Son!.
I guess Shane didnt think that in todays age with twitter,Myspace,Facebook etc. That Andre berto would run across shane mosleys interview. Well he did. And he was not happy about it. He was furious on his twitter page. Tweeting things like "Yo people I see Shane Mosley talkin a lot of shit on www.boxingtalk.com. Iam not the one...I know he's on twitter. FIND HIM" . Andre Berto later went on to say " # All that respect is out the door ill whoop yo ass homeboy. It doesn't matter steroids or not.
# I want him to say all that smack to me I showed him only respect now he's gettin real slick out the mouth he grew a pair on balls over night"
You can go to his twitter page at twitter.com/andreberto and read what else the champ had to say. I know as a writer i am not supposed to give my opinion. But this is a blog. And for right now I am going to give my opinion. I think that Shane talks a big game when it comes to calling out people like Floyd or Pacquaio, or even Ricky Hatton at one time. But has nerve to say that if Floyd were to fight Pacquiao he would not agree with the fight because he is to small. But Shane was willing to go to 140lbs to fight Pacquaio. Does any of this make any since to you readers? Golden boy promotions is trying to figure out a way for Shane to keep his belt. Because if he looses his belt then he looses ground in any chance at a mega fight with Floyd Mayweather. And the one who is going to stop him is Andre Berto.
Mosley said it him self that Bertos belt does not matter to him. But how can the WBC welterweight belt not matter to you? Are you serious Shane?
Boxing has its ups and downs. With young, hungry fighters like Andre Berto willing to fight anyone and everyone to be called the number one fighter its a shame that people like Shane Mosley will stoop this low. If you are boxing then you know that Andre Berto is willing and ready to sign that contract to fight Shane Mosley and be one step closer to a mega fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr.
dont forget to follow me at twitter.com/iamboxing and follow Andre Berto as well at twitter.com/andreberto
"NOT MY ARTICLE"!!!!! I FOUND IT AT BOXINGTALK.COM BUT IT MAKES A LOT OF SINCE AND ITS EXACTLY WHAT I FEEL
October 27, 2009
IT'S ALMOST HALLOWEEN. SO WHAT IS TEAM PACQUIAO SCARED OF?
By Greg Rowe
I was making my daily rounds today checking up on all the latest boxing news on the Internet when I heard this: “Those close to Manny Pacquiao should look to fighting someone else in his next fight besides Floyd Mayweather in his next fight.” The video played through my speakers and later went on to say that “[trainer] Freddie Roach said the Pacman could fight Juan Manuel Marquez to complete the trilogy because Marquez has been talking so much lately that he was robbed in the first two fights and it is time to shut him up.” Uhh, yes Freddie he has been saying that for years, but not as of late.
Look, if you don’t want Manny to fight Floyd Mayweather (which in my opinion is starting to become obvious) then just come out and say it! Six or seven months ago, Roach was saying Manny was going to crush Floyd, that you heard Floyd wasn’t looking that good. Then came September 19th and we all saw what happened when Mayweather defeated Marquez, the guy Pacquiao struggled with twice. I don’t really care who it is or what match-up it is, but this is by far the biggest fight to be made in boxing right now and you know what the figures will be and how bad EVERYONE wants to see it yet it seems every week there is a new excuse or reason or opponent for Manny to fight next. I have felt all along that Team Pacquiao wanted none of Mayweather and the more I see junk like this or hear it I cant help but laugh. This is the guy claimed to be the best fighter in the world but who for years ducked a third fight with Marquez and fought lesser or older guys. Now after seeing what Floyd did to him and the somewhat fragile state he might be in mentally, Pacquiao's handlers appear ready to do battle with Marquez for a third time after he just suffered the worst loss of his career?
Come on Freddie!! People need to start waking up! This is unbelievable! I don’t care how much anyone dislikes anyone; this fight needs to be made should Pacquiao get by Miguel Cotto November 14th. The hiding, the ducking and the crap needs to stop. Now that Mayweather blew Marquez out of the water, you and your team want to try and fight Marquez much like you did Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton before him... wait until they are fragile then jump on them like a dog. How can anyone can stick up for Pacquiao or Roach when it is obvious they are ducking not only the toughest fight out there but also the biggest money fight out there? If he won’t climb in the ring with someone for the biggest payday of his career, what does that say? It says, in my opinion, that Pacquiao is scared. Team Pacquiao has built a safe house, a screen up in front of the public and if it that train gets derailed then Manny loses his standing and big money paydays.
And believe me Manny, Freddie and promoter Bob Arum all know what will happen should they stare across the ring at Floyd Mayweather, none of which will be good things. As I said, I don’t care who it is or what match-up it is but the myth that Mayweather is scared of Manny is the reason this fight wont ever happen needs to stop. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to use his ears and eyes to see what is happening here... Pacquiao’s handlers dont want him anywhere near Floyd Mayweather Jr. Floyd took care of his business in dominating fashion as is accustom, now its up to Manny and if (a big if) he gets by Miguel Cotto on November 14th what other fight is there that we want to see? This stuff about not being able to come to terms with Mayweather’s team by March 20th is GARBAGE. If the price is right, you know whose name will be at the bottom of the contract. Question is…… will Pacquiao’s?
Here is the link so that you the fight fans can see and hear it with your own eyes and ears:
http://espn.go.com/boxing/
then click the ‘Around the Ring” tab that shows Antonio Margarito. It is towards the end of the video. Enjoy.
AGAIN I TAKE NO CREDIT FOR THIS ARTICLE. I POSTED IT TO MY BLOG BECAUSE IT IS EXACTLY WHAT I FEEL AND I WANTED OTHER PEOPLE TO SEE IT!!!!!
IT'S ALMOST HALLOWEEN. SO WHAT IS TEAM PACQUIAO SCARED OF?
By Greg Rowe
I was making my daily rounds today checking up on all the latest boxing news on the Internet when I heard this: “Those close to Manny Pacquiao should look to fighting someone else in his next fight besides Floyd Mayweather in his next fight.” The video played through my speakers and later went on to say that “[trainer] Freddie Roach said the Pacman could fight Juan Manuel Marquez to complete the trilogy because Marquez has been talking so much lately that he was robbed in the first two fights and it is time to shut him up.” Uhh, yes Freddie he has been saying that for years, but not as of late.
Look, if you don’t want Manny to fight Floyd Mayweather (which in my opinion is starting to become obvious) then just come out and say it! Six or seven months ago, Roach was saying Manny was going to crush Floyd, that you heard Floyd wasn’t looking that good. Then came September 19th and we all saw what happened when Mayweather defeated Marquez, the guy Pacquiao struggled with twice. I don’t really care who it is or what match-up it is, but this is by far the biggest fight to be made in boxing right now and you know what the figures will be and how bad EVERYONE wants to see it yet it seems every week there is a new excuse or reason or opponent for Manny to fight next. I have felt all along that Team Pacquiao wanted none of Mayweather and the more I see junk like this or hear it I cant help but laugh. This is the guy claimed to be the best fighter in the world but who for years ducked a third fight with Marquez and fought lesser or older guys. Now after seeing what Floyd did to him and the somewhat fragile state he might be in mentally, Pacquiao's handlers appear ready to do battle with Marquez for a third time after he just suffered the worst loss of his career?
Come on Freddie!! People need to start waking up! This is unbelievable! I don’t care how much anyone dislikes anyone; this fight needs to be made should Pacquiao get by Miguel Cotto November 14th. The hiding, the ducking and the crap needs to stop. Now that Mayweather blew Marquez out of the water, you and your team want to try and fight Marquez much like you did Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton before him... wait until they are fragile then jump on them like a dog. How can anyone can stick up for Pacquiao or Roach when it is obvious they are ducking not only the toughest fight out there but also the biggest money fight out there? If he won’t climb in the ring with someone for the biggest payday of his career, what does that say? It says, in my opinion, that Pacquiao is scared. Team Pacquiao has built a safe house, a screen up in front of the public and if it that train gets derailed then Manny loses his standing and big money paydays.
And believe me Manny, Freddie and promoter Bob Arum all know what will happen should they stare across the ring at Floyd Mayweather, none of which will be good things. As I said, I don’t care who it is or what match-up it is but the myth that Mayweather is scared of Manny is the reason this fight wont ever happen needs to stop. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to use his ears and eyes to see what is happening here... Pacquiao’s handlers dont want him anywhere near Floyd Mayweather Jr. Floyd took care of his business in dominating fashion as is accustom, now its up to Manny and if (a big if) he gets by Miguel Cotto on November 14th what other fight is there that we want to see? This stuff about not being able to come to terms with Mayweather’s team by March 20th is GARBAGE. If the price is right, you know whose name will be at the bottom of the contract. Question is…… will Pacquiao’s?
Here is the link so that you the fight fans can see and hear it with your own eyes and ears:
http://espn.go.com/boxing/
then click the ‘Around the Ring” tab that shows Antonio Margarito. It is towards the end of the video. Enjoy.
AGAIN I TAKE NO CREDIT FOR THIS ARTICLE. I POSTED IT TO MY BLOG BECAUSE IT IS EXACTLY WHAT I FEEL AND I WANTED OTHER PEOPLE TO SEE IT!!!!!
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Cotto vs Pacquaio Hbo 24/7 part 1
In tonights episode of Hbo's in depth boxing series 24/7. We got to see a little bit of what two major boxing stars are doing in preparation for there up coming show down on Nov. 14 in Las Vegas. The show started off with pacquaios camp. It went in depth about the storms that ripped through the Philippines and destroyed many peoples homes ans lives. Although very sad pacquaio stayed focused and changed training techniques to accommodate the conditions he was facing. In stead of running miles for cardio he was swimming laps in a pool. The ironic thing about him swimming is that he cant swim.
Moving on in the show they moved to Cottos camp. It was video of him training early in purto rico. It also showed him getting the finishing touches on one of his tattoos, which he now has a total of 9. Before his segment ended he ate his last meal with his family before leaving for Miami to his new training camp.
Back to pacquaios training camp. More footage of the disaster that happen in the Philippines. Then this is where the show started to take a little bit of a twist. As you watch sparing parners start to come in like Luis Castilo. They speak of an altercation in which two people in pacquaios camp had a fist fight over who will be the 4th man in the corner the night of the fight. It kind of makes you think are things really going as planned in that camp. For instance. In cottos camp there were stories of problems but every time cotto was asked about it he would always say that things were going as planned. But then all of a sudden things blew up and he no longer talks to his uncle. And has a new head trainer.
The final part of this show, which had me very interested was that freddie roach quit camp at one time. This was very suprising to me because i would of never thought that pacquiao would of turned into the pre ma-dona like he is becoming. It all started because another storm was headed towards there camp and freddie roach wanted to up and move camp to avoid any more frustration. Pacquiao and roach had a private meeting behind doors but the next day pacquiao pulled a fast one and things didn't go as planned. Roach was fed up and approached pacquaio as he was having a meeting with a congressman and said that he was leaving camp. Things like this before a huge fight are not good for the camp. No matter how much you are focused things like that can always make a difference come fight night. I wonder what is going to be the end result. Will pacquaio after this fight try and find a new trainer? Will freddie roach leave pacquaio if he doesn't win. Tune in next saturday for the second installment of hbos cotto vs pacquaio 24/7
Moving on in the show they moved to Cottos camp. It was video of him training early in purto rico. It also showed him getting the finishing touches on one of his tattoos, which he now has a total of 9. Before his segment ended he ate his last meal with his family before leaving for Miami to his new training camp.
Back to pacquaios training camp. More footage of the disaster that happen in the Philippines. Then this is where the show started to take a little bit of a twist. As you watch sparing parners start to come in like Luis Castilo. They speak of an altercation in which two people in pacquaios camp had a fist fight over who will be the 4th man in the corner the night of the fight. It kind of makes you think are things really going as planned in that camp. For instance. In cottos camp there were stories of problems but every time cotto was asked about it he would always say that things were going as planned. But then all of a sudden things blew up and he no longer talks to his uncle. And has a new head trainer.
The final part of this show, which had me very interested was that freddie roach quit camp at one time. This was very suprising to me because i would of never thought that pacquiao would of turned into the pre ma-dona like he is becoming. It all started because another storm was headed towards there camp and freddie roach wanted to up and move camp to avoid any more frustration. Pacquiao and roach had a private meeting behind doors but the next day pacquiao pulled a fast one and things didn't go as planned. Roach was fed up and approached pacquaio as he was having a meeting with a congressman and said that he was leaving camp. Things like this before a huge fight are not good for the camp. No matter how much you are focused things like that can always make a difference come fight night. I wonder what is going to be the end result. Will pacquaio after this fight try and find a new trainer? Will freddie roach leave pacquaio if he doesn't win. Tune in next saturday for the second installment of hbos cotto vs pacquaio 24/7
Friday, October 23, 2009
NEW NEW NEW !!! RARE EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH ANDRE "THE MATRIX" DIRRELL
If i am lucky IAmBoxing fans I have got in touch with The Matrix man him self Andre Dirrell. I plan on calling him champ. Because I and the rest of the world really knows who won that fight that he had with carl froch. I will ask him about the fight night, what he plans on doing different if anything for his next fight. Talk about the Kessler vs ward fight and when it is all over would he still want another rematch with carl froch. Stay tuned because this is going to be an interview that you will not want to miss.
COTTO BREAKS SILENCE ON DISMISSAL OF SPARRING PARTNER
COTTO BREAKS SILENCE ON DISMISSAL OF SPARRING PARTNER
By Ben Thompson | October 23, 2009
"He did not perform the work the way we work in this group. Here, we work seriously. No one comes to clown around or be mocked in the ring. The sparring partners are here to help us and make us work, not to have a good time, dropping their hands and showing off their abilities," stated WBO welterweight champion Miguel Cotto as he explained his decision to dismiss former sparring partner Frankie "El Gato" Figueroa. Figueroa, who previously helped Cotto train for his bout with Zab Judah, was brought in again to help him prepare for his November 14th clash with Manny Pacquiao. After only one week and roughly four sparring sessions, Figueroa was asked to leave Cotto's training camp without given any reason.
In a recent interview with Hiram Alberto Torraca of El Nueva Dia, Cotto revealed that he was not happy with the fact that Figueroa was clowning around too much during sparring sessions, dropping his hands and talking smack to the two-division world champion. "There are two kinds of boxers, the ones that elevate themselves in sparring and the ones that elevate themselves in fights. Gato is one of the ones that likes to elevate himself in sparring," Cotto added. While it's understandable that Cotto wasn't too happy about being mocked inside the ring, one would think that he already knew what he was getting with Figueroa, having sparred extensively with him in the past. Sources say that at times, Cotto looked extremely frustrated during their sparring sessions, having a difficult time with the movement that Figueroa was presenting as he tried to emulate Manny Pacquiao. How this will all play out come November 14th remains to be seen, however, it's a tad bit surprising to hear that a little mocking and showboating rattled the welterweight champion so much that he chose to dismiss his most experienced sparring partner without first trying to address the problem.
By Ben Thompson | October 23, 2009
"He did not perform the work the way we work in this group. Here, we work seriously. No one comes to clown around or be mocked in the ring. The sparring partners are here to help us and make us work, not to have a good time, dropping their hands and showing off their abilities," stated WBO welterweight champion Miguel Cotto as he explained his decision to dismiss former sparring partner Frankie "El Gato" Figueroa. Figueroa, who previously helped Cotto train for his bout with Zab Judah, was brought in again to help him prepare for his November 14th clash with Manny Pacquiao. After only one week and roughly four sparring sessions, Figueroa was asked to leave Cotto's training camp without given any reason.
In a recent interview with Hiram Alberto Torraca of El Nueva Dia, Cotto revealed that he was not happy with the fact that Figueroa was clowning around too much during sparring sessions, dropping his hands and talking smack to the two-division world champion. "There are two kinds of boxers, the ones that elevate themselves in sparring and the ones that elevate themselves in fights. Gato is one of the ones that likes to elevate himself in sparring," Cotto added. While it's understandable that Cotto wasn't too happy about being mocked inside the ring, one would think that he already knew what he was getting with Figueroa, having sparred extensively with him in the past. Sources say that at times, Cotto looked extremely frustrated during their sparring sessions, having a difficult time with the movement that Figueroa was presenting as he tried to emulate Manny Pacquiao. How this will all play out come November 14th remains to be seen, however, it's a tad bit surprising to hear that a little mocking and showboating rattled the welterweight champion so much that he chose to dismiss his most experienced sparring partner without first trying to address the problem.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Cotto's team conference call transcript
PROMOTER BOB ARUM: "Miguel Cotto’s trainer, Joe Santiago is here and Miguel’s strength and conditioning coach, Phil Landman, is also here. I have been to both camps [Cotto's and that of his November 14th opponent, Manny Pacquiao] and I am so gratified to see two athletes getting themselves in peak condition. I want to see, more than anything else, a great fight on November 14th. To have a great fight, you have to have two well-conditioned athletes and that’s what we have here."
JOE SANTIAGO: This has been an excellent camp. We have worked very hard and our objectives have been met every way up to now. Everyone is happy and everyone has done everything that has been expected and we are looking pretty good.
PHIL LANDMAN: For the most part the work has been on the same format as we have done before. We have changed a few things to address what Pacquiao is bringing to the fight. Miguel is looking super good and I am really happy with the work that has been done.
Were you comfortable in the last fight, your first with Miguel, when there was trouble in the ring for Miguel?
JOE SANTIAGO: That first time we were very conscious of what we needed to do. It was a team effort and everyone did their part. We all worked hard on what we needed to do. I think the preparation was good and on the night of the fight we were all doing what we were supposed to do. I am very grateful to the Cotto family for having me work on such an important event. This time around I think we are all going to be better for it. It’s a team effort and I think if we all do what we need to do Miguel will be fine and we’ll walk out a winner.
Miguel seems very calm about everything. Does that rub off?
JOE SANTIAGO: I think it was a very smart move by Miguel to move the whole team to Tampa for this fight and for the last fight. We are all in camp and very confident in what we are doing.
Do you think Miguel will have trouble making 145?
PHIL LANDMAN: 147 is Miguel’s natural weight so Miguel has no trouble getting to that weight. I was never with him at 140, but the stories I have heard I think it will just take a little more training for him to get to the weight. He has come in twice at 146 so we have no concern with that.
Joe, have you felt pressure since taking over?
JOE SANTIAGO: I have been around the camp for seven years, so I know how he prepares himself. I know him very well. The confidence that the Cotto family had in me, made me feel good. I know I was well prepared and I know I have the capacity to do this job and I think I just follow along what we’ve done before.
What would a victory mean to the island of Puerto Rico?
JOE SANTIAGO: It is huge. Everybody knows what Pacquiao has done and we know what Miguel is capable of doing. It would not only be huge for me and Miguel, but for everybody in Puerto Rico. It would be a huge win especially with what Pacquiao has done in his last few fights.
When Pacquiao's trainer Freddie Roach talks of first round knockouts, what do you think?
BOB ARUM: Anything is possible. They fight from the beginning, and anything can happen. Miguel can knock Manny out in the first round and Manny can knock Miguel out in the first round. I don’t think it’s likely and I know that Freddie is a great trainer and he is also a great psychologist. A lot of what Freddie says is to get in camp Cotto’s heads. There is nothing wrong with that. That’s boxing. No one knows what can happen. The fight could go a lot of different ways and that’s why it’s going to be a great fight.
A lot of people think the Margarito fight took a lot out of Miguel and maybe it showed in the Clottey fight…
PHIL LANDMAN: For me, I commend him for coming in and fighting a tough guy like Clottey. Getting a cut like he did in the third round, he never thought about quitting and he toughed it out for twelve rounds and he won the fight. I think you have to look at it from that perspective and give him credit for it.
JOE SANTIAGO: As far as we are concerned, the Margarito fight is over and done with. We are preparing for a new challenge and I see him just as hungry. We always go into win. The confidence when he goes up into the ring – I don’t see that changing. I don’t think many guys would have stood up to Clottey the way he was fighting with the cut and everything. I think you just have to look at the challenge ahead and we are preparing for that.
BOB ARUM: I would like to say that Clottey is one of the best welterweights out there. For Miguel to come back after suffering that cut and to come back and pull out a victory, I think shows that Miguel is back but it also shows an absolutely brilliant performance. I don’t think people give Clottey a lot of credit for being the great fighter that he is. I think people should watch on December 5 on HBO where Joshua is fighting Quintana then you’ll see what a great fighter he is.
After Clottey fight there was talk of some mistakes that Cotto made…
JOE SANTIAGO: Sometimes in the corner we are a little late getting in and getting out and where we should be in between rounds. We had different people going in there and at times it was difficult to work. The way the New York Commission set up was a problem. Overall, it was just a question of how Chavez would get in there and how we want to use him and how we want to work. I think that having Joe Chavez here for most of the training camp is important. We are getting to know him and he is getting to know us and he knows how we work. That is going to be beneficial. There were really no mistakes about the way we wanted to do the fight. I think the strategy was fine. I have known him for seven years and I know they had talked about bringing in well-known trainers but I think the fact that I have known him a long time and he feels comfortable with me gave me an advantage over all those guys. I think it’s just a question of getting everybody on the same page and I think we’ve done that.
JOE SANTIAGO: A few years back before Miguel fought Quintana, a lot of people thought Quintana could beat Miguel and he took a little affront to that, people picking Quintana to beat him. The night of the fight he was so in tune to what he wanted to do, he was so impressive. I think you will see that in him this time. A lot of people are picking Pacquiao to beat him and he is motivated by that. Without question, all the fighters want to be great and all the fighters want to be the best and Miguel has that little extra because the people don’t think he can win this fight. We know he can win this fight and he knows he can win this fight but he’ll have to show everyone what he’s capable of doing against this type of opponent. I think he will come out with a little more fire.
JOE SANTIAGO: I think both guys want to show that they are the best. One is called the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world and we know we have the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world in Miguel Cotto and when that night comes and he wins, everyone will know that Puerto Rico does have the best pound-4-pound fighter in the world.
Does Pacquiao struggling against Marquez give him confidence?
JOE SANTIAGO: With all that Pacquiao has done lately you have to be impressed by that. We know what we are capable of doing and Miguel wants to show everyone and that’s why we work so hard in this camp. Different fighters and different things going on…all in know is that Cotto is the first true welterweight that he will have fought in his career that is young and still in his prime so that is what Pacquiao is facing.
Has the cut healed?
JOE SANTIAGO: We were very lucky on the night of the fight that we had two plastic surgeons there at the Garden and they were able to do their job and it came out very nice and we have not seen anything at all that has been wrong with his cut and we have had no issues with it in camp and I don’t think it will be an issue in the fight.
We have 26 days to go to the fight. We are sparring three days a week. We are going to continue doing the same work we have done for the past few weeks. This next week we will work really hard because we will start toning it down the three weeks after that. We will be more intense about what we are doing but we won’t work as long.
JOE SANTIAGO: Right now we are where we want to be weight-wise. He is working hard. There is a certain weight he needs to be on…the commission in Puerto Rico requires that and we are right on there. If you want to know about our strategy, you’ll have to watch the fight on the 14th. That’s when you’ll see everything.
Without a doubt, Miguel has done everything asked of him. It has been hard to accomplish everything we have needed to accomplish. We have a plan that we look at every week that needs to be done and he has been very good at it. We are now looking forward to finishing it off and we look forward to the 14th. On the 13th we will be 145 lbs. no question. On the 14th it is going to be a great night. And on the 15th we are going to celebrate with the country of Puerto Rico.
Has Miguel’s training differed over the past few fights? He seems to be more comfortable in training…
PHIL LANDMAN: A lot of things I have brought to Miguel he had begun to realize the benefits of sticking to it, especially between the fights. We have talked about this before that if he continues in between fights it is easier to get back into a rhythm again. After the Clottey fight, we knew we were going to have something big again before the end of the year. When he came into camp, which he’s done a couple of times before, at weight, with a lot of preparation behind him has definitely helped out. Miguel has wanted a program for when he is out of camp and it has been a big help to us.
Do you think it is a challenge for yourself fighting against a well-known trainer?
JOE SANTIAGO: I don’t look at it that way. I know that he has done a lot in boxing. I have a lot of respect for what Freddie Roach has done. But it has nothing to do with us. It’s the fighters that are going to do the fighting. They are going to do their work and we have our work to do. As long as our guy wins we are going to get recognized for it. Once Miguel wins, they are going to recognize that we have a great corner, a great team. That’s the way I look at it. It has nothing to do with me and Freddie Roach. We are preparing Miguel Cotto to fight many Pacquiao. That’s my job and that’s the way I look at it.
Some people question Manny’s opponents in his last couple of fights. Do you think Miguel is a step up for Manny?
JOE SANTIAGO: I wouldn’t say that Manny’s opponents have not been quality fighters because we know they are. We know Oscar De Le Hoya and we know Ricky Hatton and their careers and that’s the way we look at it. Miguel is obviously at the point of his career when we know he is at his best and he’s going to show everyone that he is at his best. I think many Pacquiao is in for a tough night. Cotto showed in the Clottey fight how much he wants to win and how much it means to him to win. I think that desire is a very important thing to have, to win, and Miguel has it.
How was Miguel able to sustain the high energy in the Clottey fight?
JOE SANTIAGO: We had no doubt about his heart and will to win and he showed that in the Clottey fight. I think in this fight he is going to show you a lot more things. He is going to show you his speed and his strength and how good he can be. I know we have seen him at his best against some other fighters but I truly believe that this is going to be one of his best performances.
PHIL LANDMAN: I think a big part of that was his communication with the team prior to Joe coming in wasn’t all that great. I think with the way things were back then, Miguel wasn’t able to get as much out of the program that he could have. With the communication that I have with Joe…we sit down and we work together. And it s better for this camp and I am really looking forward to the next few weeks to finish up.
Does he need to box and win a decision or does he need to be spectacular and knock out Pacquiao?
JOE SANTIAGO: I think in his career he has shown a willingness to fight anybody and everybody they put in front of him and he beat them all except one. All he has to do is beat Manny Pacquiao to prove he is the best in the world. I fhe does that I don’t see how they can deny him that No. 1 spot.
Clottey was not as busy as Pacquiao will be. Will Miguel be able to match that?
PHIL LANDMAN: I think you should expect to see even more from Miguel for this fight. We have worked on changing many things the way Miguel is as a boxer. We have improved in a lot of areas where he could improve. The most important thing is that he will fight smarter. He will have more strong points than he had before. We have taken a lot of things from the Clottey fight and we built on them for this fight because we know that we are fighting one of the best guys out there. We are coming in well prepared for that in all areas of Miguel’s boxing.
Is the perception that Miguel is bigger and stronger and just as fast?
PHIL LANDMAN: Miguel is Miguel and I’m not going to compare him to Pacquiao. Manny has a lot in his game and Miguel brings a lot of things that Pacquiao doesn’t have. We are working on improving those areas. We are just trying to prepare for a very good fight for an opponent that is very good.
JOE SANTIAGO: I think that Miguel has shown everybody that he can deal with speed, with Mosley and with Zab Judah. I don’t think it is a problem with speed. I think the rhythm that Manny brings to the fight, I don’t think people think Miguel can stay with that speed. But I think he will. I not only think he can stay with the rhythm but I think he will enjoy fighting that kind of fight. I think it will be a very interesting fight and I think Miguel will come out victorious in the fight by just doing what he always does, coming forward, throwing punches and being strong.
Could you differentiate between a boxer’s strength and his knockout power?
PHIL LANDMAN: The best things with Miguel are with his strength and his speed and the work we have done has shown especially since he came up to the welterweight division. We work on things in the gym to improve on his overall power and strength and towards the end of the camp we will focus more on functional stuff, which is funneling that power and speed to work for him in that fight. That, along with conditioning, which I think will contribute to all things coming together to create a better puncher as well as a better boxer.
BOB ARUM: I would like to thank all of you for being on this call as well and Joe, Phil and Ricardo. I would now like to tell you about the card you will expect to see on November 14. It starts with Jesus Sotto-Karass, a top welterweight in the world, fighting Alfonso Gomez, another top welterweight. Then we have a WBA super welterweight title fight between Daniel Santos, the champion from Puerto Rico and No. 1 contender Yuri Foreman of Brooklyn. And finally the last fight on the card prior to the main event Troy Rowland, an excellent middleweight from Grand Rapids with a record of 25 wins and 2 defeats will challenge Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. of Culiacan, Mexico, with a record of 40 wins, no losses and 30 knockouts. It will be a great undercard, and everybody of course is waiting for the fight of the year and maybe the fight of this decade, Miguel Angel Cotto defending his title against pound-for-pound No. 1 in the world, Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines.
**Manny Pacquiao and Freddie Roach have moved their camp down to Manila and is expected into the United States this weekend. Their conference call will be next week. Also look for the first installment of 24/7 Pacquiao-Cotto which will debut this weekend on Saturday at 10:15 PM ET & PT.
BOB ARUM: I spoke to Ross Greenburg and Mark Taffet and they have told me this is probably the best segment ever done on 24/7. It has unbelievable footage from the Philippines which the news programs didn’t get. It shows how devastating the floods were, how Manny coped with the floods and the typhoons. It is well worth it.
JOE SANTIAGO: This has been an excellent camp. We have worked very hard and our objectives have been met every way up to now. Everyone is happy and everyone has done everything that has been expected and we are looking pretty good.
PHIL LANDMAN: For the most part the work has been on the same format as we have done before. We have changed a few things to address what Pacquiao is bringing to the fight. Miguel is looking super good and I am really happy with the work that has been done.
Were you comfortable in the last fight, your first with Miguel, when there was trouble in the ring for Miguel?
JOE SANTIAGO: That first time we were very conscious of what we needed to do. It was a team effort and everyone did their part. We all worked hard on what we needed to do. I think the preparation was good and on the night of the fight we were all doing what we were supposed to do. I am very grateful to the Cotto family for having me work on such an important event. This time around I think we are all going to be better for it. It’s a team effort and I think if we all do what we need to do Miguel will be fine and we’ll walk out a winner.
Miguel seems very calm about everything. Does that rub off?
JOE SANTIAGO: I think it was a very smart move by Miguel to move the whole team to Tampa for this fight and for the last fight. We are all in camp and very confident in what we are doing.
Do you think Miguel will have trouble making 145?
PHIL LANDMAN: 147 is Miguel’s natural weight so Miguel has no trouble getting to that weight. I was never with him at 140, but the stories I have heard I think it will just take a little more training for him to get to the weight. He has come in twice at 146 so we have no concern with that.
Joe, have you felt pressure since taking over?
JOE SANTIAGO: I have been around the camp for seven years, so I know how he prepares himself. I know him very well. The confidence that the Cotto family had in me, made me feel good. I know I was well prepared and I know I have the capacity to do this job and I think I just follow along what we’ve done before.
What would a victory mean to the island of Puerto Rico?
JOE SANTIAGO: It is huge. Everybody knows what Pacquiao has done and we know what Miguel is capable of doing. It would not only be huge for me and Miguel, but for everybody in Puerto Rico. It would be a huge win especially with what Pacquiao has done in his last few fights.
When Pacquiao's trainer Freddie Roach talks of first round knockouts, what do you think?
BOB ARUM: Anything is possible. They fight from the beginning, and anything can happen. Miguel can knock Manny out in the first round and Manny can knock Miguel out in the first round. I don’t think it’s likely and I know that Freddie is a great trainer and he is also a great psychologist. A lot of what Freddie says is to get in camp Cotto’s heads. There is nothing wrong with that. That’s boxing. No one knows what can happen. The fight could go a lot of different ways and that’s why it’s going to be a great fight.
A lot of people think the Margarito fight took a lot out of Miguel and maybe it showed in the Clottey fight…
PHIL LANDMAN: For me, I commend him for coming in and fighting a tough guy like Clottey. Getting a cut like he did in the third round, he never thought about quitting and he toughed it out for twelve rounds and he won the fight. I think you have to look at it from that perspective and give him credit for it.
JOE SANTIAGO: As far as we are concerned, the Margarito fight is over and done with. We are preparing for a new challenge and I see him just as hungry. We always go into win. The confidence when he goes up into the ring – I don’t see that changing. I don’t think many guys would have stood up to Clottey the way he was fighting with the cut and everything. I think you just have to look at the challenge ahead and we are preparing for that.
BOB ARUM: I would like to say that Clottey is one of the best welterweights out there. For Miguel to come back after suffering that cut and to come back and pull out a victory, I think shows that Miguel is back but it also shows an absolutely brilliant performance. I don’t think people give Clottey a lot of credit for being the great fighter that he is. I think people should watch on December 5 on HBO where Joshua is fighting Quintana then you’ll see what a great fighter he is.
After Clottey fight there was talk of some mistakes that Cotto made…
JOE SANTIAGO: Sometimes in the corner we are a little late getting in and getting out and where we should be in between rounds. We had different people going in there and at times it was difficult to work. The way the New York Commission set up was a problem. Overall, it was just a question of how Chavez would get in there and how we want to use him and how we want to work. I think that having Joe Chavez here for most of the training camp is important. We are getting to know him and he is getting to know us and he knows how we work. That is going to be beneficial. There were really no mistakes about the way we wanted to do the fight. I think the strategy was fine. I have known him for seven years and I know they had talked about bringing in well-known trainers but I think the fact that I have known him a long time and he feels comfortable with me gave me an advantage over all those guys. I think it’s just a question of getting everybody on the same page and I think we’ve done that.
JOE SANTIAGO: A few years back before Miguel fought Quintana, a lot of people thought Quintana could beat Miguel and he took a little affront to that, people picking Quintana to beat him. The night of the fight he was so in tune to what he wanted to do, he was so impressive. I think you will see that in him this time. A lot of people are picking Pacquiao to beat him and he is motivated by that. Without question, all the fighters want to be great and all the fighters want to be the best and Miguel has that little extra because the people don’t think he can win this fight. We know he can win this fight and he knows he can win this fight but he’ll have to show everyone what he’s capable of doing against this type of opponent. I think he will come out with a little more fire.
JOE SANTIAGO: I think both guys want to show that they are the best. One is called the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world and we know we have the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world in Miguel Cotto and when that night comes and he wins, everyone will know that Puerto Rico does have the best pound-4-pound fighter in the world.
Does Pacquiao struggling against Marquez give him confidence?
JOE SANTIAGO: With all that Pacquiao has done lately you have to be impressed by that. We know what we are capable of doing and Miguel wants to show everyone and that’s why we work so hard in this camp. Different fighters and different things going on…all in know is that Cotto is the first true welterweight that he will have fought in his career that is young and still in his prime so that is what Pacquiao is facing.
Has the cut healed?
JOE SANTIAGO: We were very lucky on the night of the fight that we had two plastic surgeons there at the Garden and they were able to do their job and it came out very nice and we have not seen anything at all that has been wrong with his cut and we have had no issues with it in camp and I don’t think it will be an issue in the fight.
We have 26 days to go to the fight. We are sparring three days a week. We are going to continue doing the same work we have done for the past few weeks. This next week we will work really hard because we will start toning it down the three weeks after that. We will be more intense about what we are doing but we won’t work as long.
JOE SANTIAGO: Right now we are where we want to be weight-wise. He is working hard. There is a certain weight he needs to be on…the commission in Puerto Rico requires that and we are right on there. If you want to know about our strategy, you’ll have to watch the fight on the 14th. That’s when you’ll see everything.
Without a doubt, Miguel has done everything asked of him. It has been hard to accomplish everything we have needed to accomplish. We have a plan that we look at every week that needs to be done and he has been very good at it. We are now looking forward to finishing it off and we look forward to the 14th. On the 13th we will be 145 lbs. no question. On the 14th it is going to be a great night. And on the 15th we are going to celebrate with the country of Puerto Rico.
Has Miguel’s training differed over the past few fights? He seems to be more comfortable in training…
PHIL LANDMAN: A lot of things I have brought to Miguel he had begun to realize the benefits of sticking to it, especially between the fights. We have talked about this before that if he continues in between fights it is easier to get back into a rhythm again. After the Clottey fight, we knew we were going to have something big again before the end of the year. When he came into camp, which he’s done a couple of times before, at weight, with a lot of preparation behind him has definitely helped out. Miguel has wanted a program for when he is out of camp and it has been a big help to us.
Do you think it is a challenge for yourself fighting against a well-known trainer?
JOE SANTIAGO: I don’t look at it that way. I know that he has done a lot in boxing. I have a lot of respect for what Freddie Roach has done. But it has nothing to do with us. It’s the fighters that are going to do the fighting. They are going to do their work and we have our work to do. As long as our guy wins we are going to get recognized for it. Once Miguel wins, they are going to recognize that we have a great corner, a great team. That’s the way I look at it. It has nothing to do with me and Freddie Roach. We are preparing Miguel Cotto to fight many Pacquiao. That’s my job and that’s the way I look at it.
Some people question Manny’s opponents in his last couple of fights. Do you think Miguel is a step up for Manny?
JOE SANTIAGO: I wouldn’t say that Manny’s opponents have not been quality fighters because we know they are. We know Oscar De Le Hoya and we know Ricky Hatton and their careers and that’s the way we look at it. Miguel is obviously at the point of his career when we know he is at his best and he’s going to show everyone that he is at his best. I think many Pacquiao is in for a tough night. Cotto showed in the Clottey fight how much he wants to win and how much it means to him to win. I think that desire is a very important thing to have, to win, and Miguel has it.
How was Miguel able to sustain the high energy in the Clottey fight?
JOE SANTIAGO: We had no doubt about his heart and will to win and he showed that in the Clottey fight. I think in this fight he is going to show you a lot more things. He is going to show you his speed and his strength and how good he can be. I know we have seen him at his best against some other fighters but I truly believe that this is going to be one of his best performances.
PHIL LANDMAN: I think a big part of that was his communication with the team prior to Joe coming in wasn’t all that great. I think with the way things were back then, Miguel wasn’t able to get as much out of the program that he could have. With the communication that I have with Joe…we sit down and we work together. And it s better for this camp and I am really looking forward to the next few weeks to finish up.
Does he need to box and win a decision or does he need to be spectacular and knock out Pacquiao?
JOE SANTIAGO: I think in his career he has shown a willingness to fight anybody and everybody they put in front of him and he beat them all except one. All he has to do is beat Manny Pacquiao to prove he is the best in the world. I fhe does that I don’t see how they can deny him that No. 1 spot.
Clottey was not as busy as Pacquiao will be. Will Miguel be able to match that?
PHIL LANDMAN: I think you should expect to see even more from Miguel for this fight. We have worked on changing many things the way Miguel is as a boxer. We have improved in a lot of areas where he could improve. The most important thing is that he will fight smarter. He will have more strong points than he had before. We have taken a lot of things from the Clottey fight and we built on them for this fight because we know that we are fighting one of the best guys out there. We are coming in well prepared for that in all areas of Miguel’s boxing.
Is the perception that Miguel is bigger and stronger and just as fast?
PHIL LANDMAN: Miguel is Miguel and I’m not going to compare him to Pacquiao. Manny has a lot in his game and Miguel brings a lot of things that Pacquiao doesn’t have. We are working on improving those areas. We are just trying to prepare for a very good fight for an opponent that is very good.
JOE SANTIAGO: I think that Miguel has shown everybody that he can deal with speed, with Mosley and with Zab Judah. I don’t think it is a problem with speed. I think the rhythm that Manny brings to the fight, I don’t think people think Miguel can stay with that speed. But I think he will. I not only think he can stay with the rhythm but I think he will enjoy fighting that kind of fight. I think it will be a very interesting fight and I think Miguel will come out victorious in the fight by just doing what he always does, coming forward, throwing punches and being strong.
Could you differentiate between a boxer’s strength and his knockout power?
PHIL LANDMAN: The best things with Miguel are with his strength and his speed and the work we have done has shown especially since he came up to the welterweight division. We work on things in the gym to improve on his overall power and strength and towards the end of the camp we will focus more on functional stuff, which is funneling that power and speed to work for him in that fight. That, along with conditioning, which I think will contribute to all things coming together to create a better puncher as well as a better boxer.
BOB ARUM: I would like to thank all of you for being on this call as well and Joe, Phil and Ricardo. I would now like to tell you about the card you will expect to see on November 14. It starts with Jesus Sotto-Karass, a top welterweight in the world, fighting Alfonso Gomez, another top welterweight. Then we have a WBA super welterweight title fight between Daniel Santos, the champion from Puerto Rico and No. 1 contender Yuri Foreman of Brooklyn. And finally the last fight on the card prior to the main event Troy Rowland, an excellent middleweight from Grand Rapids with a record of 25 wins and 2 defeats will challenge Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. of Culiacan, Mexico, with a record of 40 wins, no losses and 30 knockouts. It will be a great undercard, and everybody of course is waiting for the fight of the year and maybe the fight of this decade, Miguel Angel Cotto defending his title against pound-for-pound No. 1 in the world, Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines.
**Manny Pacquiao and Freddie Roach have moved their camp down to Manila and is expected into the United States this weekend. Their conference call will be next week. Also look for the first installment of 24/7 Pacquiao-Cotto which will debut this weekend on Saturday at 10:15 PM ET & PT.
BOB ARUM: I spoke to Ross Greenburg and Mark Taffet and they have told me this is probably the best segment ever done on 24/7. It has unbelievable footage from the Philippines which the news programs didn’t get. It shows how devastating the floods were, how Manny coped with the floods and the typhoons. It is well worth it.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Sergio Martinez might be next in line to fight Paul Willaims
By Carl Adams II
According to Boxingscene.com Sergio Martinez the WBC junior middleweight champion is set and ready to face Paul Williams in palce of Kelly Pavlik. Just reciently Kelly Pavlik pulled out of the Dec. 5th showdown with Paul Willaims due to a continuing staph infection in his left hand. Jack Loew told several news outlets that the staph infection has become so bad that he is able to even close his fist.
Martinez is scheduled for a December 12th non-title fight on the undercard of the Malignaggi-Diaz fight. And it just so happens that Martinez is in camp training for a southpaw.
Lou DiBella seems to only have one issue with the whole situation. Weight. Although he seems to be open to making the fight at 160 for the right money.
"My guy has to be treated like a champion and not some second-class opponent. We are looking to make a defense of the green belt at 154. I'm willing to entertain any conversation about the fight taking place at middleweight but for every pound they want above 154, there better be a lot of money associated with it." DiBella Said.
According to Boxingscene.com Sergio Martinez the WBC junior middleweight champion is set and ready to face Paul Williams in palce of Kelly Pavlik. Just reciently Kelly Pavlik pulled out of the Dec. 5th showdown with Paul Willaims due to a continuing staph infection in his left hand. Jack Loew told several news outlets that the staph infection has become so bad that he is able to even close his fist.
Martinez is scheduled for a December 12th non-title fight on the undercard of the Malignaggi-Diaz fight. And it just so happens that Martinez is in camp training for a southpaw.
Lou DiBella seems to only have one issue with the whole situation. Weight. Although he seems to be open to making the fight at 160 for the right money.
"My guy has to be treated like a champion and not some second-class opponent. We are looking to make a defense of the green belt at 154. I'm willing to entertain any conversation about the fight taking place at middleweight but for every pound they want above 154, there better be a lot of money associated with it." DiBella Said.
Ricky Hatton Still Dreaming of Another Wonderland With Floyd Mayweather Jr.
By Carl Adams II
Ricky Hatton still has some left over business to finish with P4P King Floyd Mayweather jr. In an recent interview Hatton told BBC Radio
"If i decide to come back it would need to be a fight to excite me. One person on my hit-list is Floyd Mayweather." "I'd rather get back in the ring with him, have a go and get knocked out again because i can say i tried. I thought i was hard done by to lose in the first fight. The referee didn't let me impose my style on him.
"I'd rather go in there and find out wheather it is just me feeling sorry for myself or whether I was actually treated a bit harshly. That's what being a champion fighter is all about. Normally you would run a mile against people that have knocked you out. but I want to get in there again with him if i decide to come back."
Hattyon may still return in 2010, put has not plans to come back before then.
"It's only been six months since the Pacquiao fight. I'm just sitting back and having a rest, and waiting for my feet to start tapping again." Hatton said. "Once i've had a good rest and I've recharged my batteries. I might give it another go, possibly after Christmas or in the new year. At the moment i've got no plans to come back, but you need to have the hunger to come back. I'm sure it will and I'm sure I'll give it another go."
Ricky Hatton still has some left over business to finish with P4P King Floyd Mayweather jr. In an recent interview Hatton told BBC Radio
"If i decide to come back it would need to be a fight to excite me. One person on my hit-list is Floyd Mayweather." "I'd rather get back in the ring with him, have a go and get knocked out again because i can say i tried. I thought i was hard done by to lose in the first fight. The referee didn't let me impose my style on him.
"I'd rather go in there and find out wheather it is just me feeling sorry for myself or whether I was actually treated a bit harshly. That's what being a champion fighter is all about. Normally you would run a mile against people that have knocked you out. but I want to get in there again with him if i decide to come back."
Hattyon may still return in 2010, put has not plans to come back before then.
"It's only been six months since the Pacquiao fight. I'm just sitting back and having a rest, and waiting for my feet to start tapping again." Hatton said. "Once i've had a good rest and I've recharged my batteries. I might give it another go, possibly after Christmas or in the new year. At the moment i've got no plans to come back, but you need to have the hunger to come back. I'm sure it will and I'm sure I'll give it another go."
STEVE CUNNINGHAM TO FACE MATT GODFREY FOR VACANT IBF CRUISERWEIGHT TITLE?
By Press Release | October 21, 2009 |
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The IBF reacted quickly to Adamek's resignation by announcing that Matt 'Too Smooth' Godfrey would be the next available for the vacant title and ordered negotiations to start for the fight with 'USS' Cunningham.
'USS' Cunningham, once described as the by Bad Left Hook's Steve Christ as the "World's nicest man" due to his never having a bad word to say about his fellow boxers or the would be opponents that have avoided him, took a typically philosophical stance on hearing the news by saying, "Once again, I've got my marching orders, my mission is to be two time world champion, and with Adamek vacating the title, my sights are set on beating Matt Godfrey, I honestly thought it was going to go this way since July so he's been on my radar.
It's kinda bittersweet, I've wanted the rematch since December, I thought I did enough to win the fight then and I wanted to take my belt back from Adamek, but if the rematch can't be made, this is the next best thing. I've been saying since December I'll be 2 time in '09, and I still want that. I'm ready, willing and able to fight anyone for the IBF World Title, I've been in the gym steady, like I always am and I am ready to fight."
It is expected that an announcement of the date and location of Steve 'USS' Cunningham vs. Matt 'Too Smooth' Godfrey for the IBF Cruiserweight World Championship will be made shortly.
www.usscunningham.com
Cottos team on how to beat Manny Pacquiao
JOE SANTIAGO: "MANNY PACQUIAO IS IN FOR A REAL TOUGH NIGHT"
By Ben Thompson | October 20, 2009 |
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JOE SANTIAGO
On Cotto's motivation...
"A lot of people are picking Pacquiao to beat him and you see that he's a little motivated by that. Without question, all the fighters want to do great; all the fighters want to be the best. I think Miguel has a little extra. People don't think he can win this fight. We know he can win this fight. He knows he can win the fight and he'll love to show everyone what he's capable of doing against this type of opponent. Yeah, I think there's a little extra motivation and I think he'll come out with a little more fire because some people say that he can't win."
"I think both guys want to show that they are the best. One is called the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. We know we have the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world in Miguel Cotto and when that night comes and he wins, everyone will know that Puerto Rico does have the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world."
"Manny Pacquiao and all he's done lately, you have to be impressed by it. But, you know, we know what we're capable of doing and Miguel wants to show everyone, the whole world, what he's capable of doing and that's why we work so hard in this camp...all I know is that Cotto is the first true welterweight that he's faced in his career. A guy that is young, I believe he's still in his prime and that's what Pacquiao is facing."
On Miguel Cotto's current weight...
"Right now, he's right on weight. We're right where we want to be. He's worked hard, you know, and there's a certain weight that he has to be on. The commission in Puerto Rico requires it and he's right on there. No problems with weight."
On Freddie Roach...
"I know that he's done a lot in boxing. Freddie Roach, I have a lot of respect for what he's done, but it really has nothing to do with each other, you know? The fighters are going to do the fighting; they're going to do the work. I mean, we have our work to do and as long as our guy wins, then we're going to get recognized for it. Once Miguel Cotto wins, they'll recognize that we had a great corner and a great team."
On Pacquiao's past opponents...
"I wouldn't say his opponents haven't been quality fighters because we know they are. We know about Oscar De La Hoya. We know Ricky Hatton. Maybe they didn't have the best night of their career, that's the way I look at it. Miguel Cotto is obviously at the point in his career where he's at his best. He's going to show everyone that he's at his best. I think Manny Pacquiao is in for a real tough night. Cotto has showed you in the Clottey fight how bad he wants to win, how much it means to him to win and I think that's a very important thing to have, you know, that desire and the wanting to be the best and I know that Miguel has it."
"We have no doubt of his heart, of his will to win and he showed you that in the Clottey fight. I think in this fight, he's going to show you a lot more things. I think he's going to show you his speed, his strength and how good he could be. I know we've seen him at his best against some other fighters, but I truly believe that this is going to be one of his best performances."
On how they plan on dealing with Pacquiao's speed...
"I think Miguel has showed everyone that he can deal with speed with Mosley, with Zab Judah. I don't think it's a problem with speed. I think it's the rhythm that Manny brings into a fight. A lot of people don't think that Miguel can stay with that rhythm. I think he will. I think he'll not only stay with the rhythm, but he'll enjoy fighting that kind of fight. I think it will be a very interesting fight, but I still think that Miguel will come out victorious that night just by doing what he always does; going forward and throwing punches and being strong."
Paul Williams Vs Kellly Pavlik fight is Postponed again!!!!!!
This just in. According to Youngstown Vindactor The Youngstown hero Kelly Pavlik will not be able to meet his Dec. 5th date with challanger Paul "the punisher" Williams because of his staph infection. Pavliks trainer Jack Loew says the staph infection has not gone away as expected and his fighter is unable to close his left hand.
"He's trying." said Loew. "He's been running, he's been trying to train in the gym. He's trying to shadow box with one hand, hit the speed bag with one hand. ...I've been trying to keep it secret but it's not going great and I'm not going to fool anybody any longer."
Sources says that they are trying to reschedule the fight for January 23 but Willaims' side may not accept another postponement. Does this mean that Mosley will get his Dec 5th date back? Could we see Floyd fight on this date. Stay tuned to IAmBoxing For the latest news in boxing.
"He's trying." said Loew. "He's been running, he's been trying to train in the gym. He's trying to shadow box with one hand, hit the speed bag with one hand. ...I've been trying to keep it secret but it's not going great and I'm not going to fool anybody any longer."
Sources says that they are trying to reschedule the fight for January 23 but Willaims' side may not accept another postponement. Does this mean that Mosley will get his Dec 5th date back? Could we see Floyd fight on this date. Stay tuned to IAmBoxing For the latest news in boxing.
Monday, October 19, 2009
JERMAIN TAYLOR RELEASED FROM HOSPITAL IN BERLIN
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"I want to thank all my fans and those concerned and let everyone know I'm doing just fine and feeling good," said Taylor. "I want to congratulate Arthur Abraham on his victory and wish him well in the tournament. Right now my plans are to relax and enjoy my vacation in Europe with my wife, Erica."
Team Taylor is equally thankful for the outpouring of support shown by fans around the globe, and promises their number one goal is making sure their charge is fit and healthy.
"All of us at DiBella Entertainment are grateful that Jermain is feeling better after fighting his heart out on Saturday night," said Lou DiBella, promoter of Taylor. "Jermain showed his warrior spirit after working tirelessly to approach the fight in the finest shape of his career. Happily, with the doctor's blessing, he has been released from the Hospital and is presently relaxing in Europe. This is the best news we could've received."
Sunday, October 18, 2009
ABRAHAM: "TAYLOR WAS GOOD, BUT I WAS BETTER"
ABRAHAM: "TAYLOR WAS GOOD, BUT I WAS BETTER"
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After a slow start, Abraham gained control of the contest and was ahead on all three scorecards going into the final round. He hurt Taylor with a big right in the ninth but the American superstar proved his chin and continued. Just seconds before the final bell, King Arthur then landed a devastating punch to clinch the first three points of the tournament. "I had been waiting for a hole in his guard the whole night," Abraham said. "I finally found it."
Coach Ulli Wegner was full of praise for his star fighter. "Arthur fought a great fight tonight," he said. "He knew what he had to do. He fought very cleverly – Jermain Taylor was a very strong opponent. He was fast, versatile and mobile. But it was our duty to win our home game – we owed this victory to our great fans. Their support was absolutely phenomenal."
Kalle Sauerland was equally pleased about King Arthur´s first fight at super-middleweight. "We could not have scripted the fight any better," he said. "This was like a Hollywood movie. A great crowd, a high-class fight, two true champions and a spectacular ending. Arthur is more than ready to go to the U.S. and please the fans on both sides of the ocean."
Taylor spent the night in hospital with a concussion. "I am a little hurt," said Taylor after the fight, "but that comes with the territory. I was in the best shape of my life. He's a very strong fighter. I give it up to him." Abraham sent his best wishes to the former champion. "I am very sorry to hear that he is in hospital," King Arthur said. "I want to defeat my opponents but I do not want to harm them. The health is the most important thing and I hope Jermain will be fine. I was relieved when he got back up to his feet after the knock-down. I wish him well. It was an honour to fight him."
Next up for Abraham is a showdown with Andre Dirrell, who suffered a close split decision defeat against WBC Super-Middleweight Champion Carl Froch. "I have not seen a single fight of Dirrell yet," Abraham said. "My full focus was on Taylor. I cannot say anything about Dirrell. But now I will start preparing for him. I want to make the big fights in America and I look forward to coming over in January. It will be another great night of boxing. I have big plans and I cannot wait to fight in front of the great American fans again."
STAGES 2 AND 3 IN THE SUPER SIX WORLD BOXING CLASSIC
STAGES 2 AND 3 IN THE SUPER SIX WORLD BOXING CLASSIC
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The celebrated tournament pits the six best super middleweight boxers in the world against one another in a modified round robin as they compete for supremacy in the 168-pound division and the inaugural Super Six World Boxing Classic Cup. The points-based Group Stages ensure a progression of fights and present added pressure for the fighters to earn valuable points towards a berth in the single-elimination Semi-Finals. Each participant will fight three different opponents in the Group Stage segment of the tournament, earning two points for a win with one bonus point for a KO/TKO, one point for a draw and zero for a loss. After Group Stage 3, the four fighters with the highest point totals will advance to the Semi-Finals.
GROUP STAGE 2
- ANDRE DIRRELL vs. ARTHUR ABRAHAM
- MIKKEL KESSLER vs. CARL FROCH
- JERMAIN TAYLOR vs. ANDRE WARD
- ANDRE DIRRELL vs. ANDRE WARD
- CARL FROCH vs. ARTHUR ABRAHAM
- MIKKEL KESSLER vs. JERMAIN TAYLOR
Carl froch vs Andre Dirrell Aftermath
After an exciting night of boxing. The young American fighter Andre "The matrix" Dirrell was not able to pull off the win against WBC super middle weight Champ Carl Froch. The event took place in Nottingham at the Trent FM Arena. Carl Froch (26,0,20KO's) won a 12 round split decision over Dirrell to win the first round of the Super Six Boxing Classic tournament. The scores for the fight were very close. 114-113 for Dirrell, 115-112 for Froch and 115-112 for Froch.
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